Australia – 2014

Australia Trip Part Seven
September 16. 2014
Today we are going through the middle of the island on the Heritage Trail. Two of the colonial
houses built by the convicts are closed for renovation. That is the down side to coming in the off
season.
First stop is Campbell Town. Another of the convict built bridges is here. This one was built in
1838 from 1.5 million red bricks. The bridge is of such good construction that semi trucks drive
over it. A small park is along side the river. An artist carved statues from the trees that once lined
the river. They depicted life in the area both now and in the past. They are quite interesting. A
house nearby is selling bags of sheep poo for $5 from their front porch. They did not have any
airline ID tags so we elected to not take an home this time.
Next stop was Ross to visit the Tasmanian Wool Center. For once the gift shop is at the
beginning and you are not forced to go through the shop. They have a great little museum about
wool and then one about the town. A couple of ladies were changing a display and having way
too much fun. We talked quite some time with one about the area, museum and her life. She
was most enjoyable. The wool center had various grades of wool that you could feel. What a
difference. The houses here seem older with more character than Campbell Town. We walked a
block to their convict bridge. It has artistic pieces attached that were supposedly some of the
people of the day.
Next stop was Oatlands to see the flour mill windmill. The tour book says you can’t miss it. Well
they were right about that. It is by far the biggest building in town. They still mill flour here. The
structure was reopened in 2010 after some considerable renovation work. The government now
runs the facility. Rob took a tour through the mill. Connie took one look at the stairs and stayed
on the ground. It is five stories tall.
We are not far from Hobart but we headed back up past the Great Lake. This a big lake in
comparison to others we have seen. Then the road turns to gravel. Even past a couple of small
housing groups. They look like manufactured homes used as vacation homes. A few do have
smoke coming out of the chimney. Then came the switch backs. Boy the engineer must have
had fun with this. They are sharp and the road is narrow. Not as bad as Puerto Rico but close.
Finally we got back on asphalt. The forest here was eucalyptus not pine. Back into farm country
again with more sheep and cows. The grass is so green and the animals easy to spot.
We stayed in Ulverstone at the Lighthouse Inn. It just happens to be located over a casino.
Surprisingly the place is quiet. I think we were the only guests. The drive had been long but the
scenery and stops were wonderful.
September 17, 2014
We are off to Cradle Mountain today. It is one of the tallest peaks on the island. The place is
supposedly mystical. The road there is up and over rolling hills of farm country. No row crops
just sheep, horses, and cows. Most horses have blankets on them. The skies are mostly cloudy
with a forecast of snow.
We came to an area where people had gotten very creative with their mail boxes. Most were old
milk cans but some were such things as a kangaroo, airplane and yellow submarine. In case we
forgot to tell you, mailmen ride small scooters with side pouches for the mail. They wear bright
yellow clothing and have a flag attached to the back. Sure makes them easy to spot.
Parts of the road are very steep and narrow. There are no lines on the road. Thank goodness
we did not encounter any big trucks. The road leading into the park was also narrow but had a
new kind of sleeping policeman. Every so often for no known reason concrete islands are place
such that the road becomes one lane.
When we reached the Visitors Center it began to snow. The ranger in the center gave us a map,
showed some short trails that might be okay and charged us $16.50 each as a park entrance
fee. That includes the right to ride their shuttle service. It does run about every 30 minutes. Just
then the snow quit and the sun came out. Off we went toward the end of the road. You must
enter through a gate that controls the number of vehicles in the park. Spaces to park them are
limited. Once you are through the gate the two lane road becomes a one lane road with two way
traffic. Occasionally a wider spot comes along for one vehicle to turn out in and allow the other
vehicle to pass.
By the time we got to Dove Lake which is the end of the road the snow was beginning to come
again. We could just see to the end of the lake but very little of the mountains surrounding the
lake. We took a few pictures and then hopped back in the car to wait this one out. The snow
kept getting worse and the car was fogging up so we finally decided to go back part way to
some picnic tables. Well the snow just followed us so we made sandwiches in the car and ate
them there. One of the crows tried everything a could to get us yo leave him something. He
landed on the side mirror and sat there getting covered with snow. Then he walked across the
hood (bonnet) to the other side mirror. We never gave him anything so he tried for a couple of
back packers who had just come along. They looked pretty wet.
Well the snow was not giving up so we returned to the lodge where they had information about
the park displayed. There was no heat in the building so you didn’t linger. We looked around and
watched part of the black and white film about the couple who got the area made into a national
park. They built a cabin in what is now the park and lived there until she passed away. We were
there about half an hour. When we went in the parking lot was wet. When we came out it was
white with about a one inch accumulation. Not the best spring weather.
Time to go. Mother Nature is simply not going to let us see Cradle Mountain. We drove several
miles before it stopped snowing and the roads cleared. About the time we got to the end of the
snow, at least six emergency vehicles went the opposite way. Must have been an accident back
where we had been.
Now after the snow, we go in and out of valleys. Everything is so green and lush looking. The
sun came out a little and a rainbow arced into the valley. We got to the Silver Hill Motel in
Queenstown about 4:00. After checking in we went to find the train station to buy tickets for the
train ride tomorrow. They closed at 3:30. We looked around town, bought food for supper, and
filled the gas tank. The grocery clerk said the train had sold out a few times this year.
After we got back to the hotel we got online and booked the tickets. The room is cold but they
have electric pads that heat the bed up. What a cozy feeling.
September 18, 2014
We got to the train station early in case there was a problem with the tickets. No problem. The
gift shop was open and we found a two headed gingerbread cookie cutter. We will have to find
out the rest of the story.
About fifteen minutes before departure time the engine arrives. It is steam powered from
recycled cooking oil. The entire crew seems so enthusiastic about the train and their jobs. The
cars and engines have been restored and look like new. The engine is much smaller than most.
Needless to say cameras are clicking like crazy.
Queenstown is an old mining town that started out with gold and ended with copper. The train
track was built to haul out the copper. They must stop to add more water periodically so first
stop we panned for gold. One of the boys actually got some. Next stop you could purchase
snacks and/or drinks. The third stop was for lunch ($5 for a cup of vegetable soup) and to move
the engine to the opposite end of the train. The section we just crossed is very steep. The train
uses cogs like a watch to get up the mountain. This is the steepest incline in Australia if not the
world.
During the trip one of the crew told part of the story of two earlier miners in the area. One made
the initial discovery the other bought him out by some fancy paperwork. He is the one who built
the railroad. The trip was quite fun. Not as photogenic as the ride in Cairns but well worth the
time.
We sat across from a nice couple from near the Gold Coast. They are vacationing here. The trip
lasted until a little after 1:00. We jumped in the car and headed back to Hobarth to catch our
flight to Melbourne, we climbed up over a mountain and down into another valley. Oh so
beautiful.
We made it to the airport in good time. The flight to Melbourne was good. We picked up a rental
car and drove about 30 minutes to the Stay Inn Motel. This is one I would not recommend. The
price seemed quite high for the location and quality of the room. Funny how the room photos on
the web don’t always reflect reality.
Enjoy,
Rob and Connie…